A thriller about a woman who hears a crime committed while monitoring an AI stream, Kimi has some good ideas that play out poorly, yet a winning lead in Zoë Kravitz.
When it comes to reliving the pandemic, I think it’s fair to say that there isn’t a huge appetite for it. Regardless of your feelings about it now, it was a fairly scary and sad time in the world, and most of us aren’t looking to relive those days while escaping into a movie. That said, there are a few great ones (check out 7 Days!), so I had to check this out.
Kimi is about Angela, an agoraphobic woman who spends her days at home, working for an agency that monitors an AI system called Kimi. Due to her mental health issues, the pandemic, and past trauma, she only interacts with people on the phone, by video call, or if they come to her apartment. While working one day, she overhears what she believes is a crime being committed. Attempting to find out who the woman is and get her help, she approaches the company with her concerns. They request that she come into the office to discuss it in person, but that poses a problem.
Kimi is like watching two separate movies at the same time. The first movie stars Zoë Kravitz (in a solid performance) and is about a woman who is paranoid, lives in intense fear of everything outside her home, and repeats ritualistic cleaning and exercise behaviors that help her to feel more in control. Angela, by herself, wants human companionship in the form of a neighbor she originally met through the window at the beginning of lockdown, but can’t bring herself to go outside with him. Kravitz does Angela justice, her world is intriguing and sad, and you slowly understand the fragile state of mind in which she lives.
The second movie takes place around the Zoë Kravitz character and feels absolutely ridiculous. Everyone (other than the Byron Bowers character, who does a nice job balancing the frustration and reality of “dating” Angela) feels as if they have come out of nowhere, had one day to shoot the film, and are all over the place. Even Rita Wilson (who is on screen for 60 seconds) feels like she’s just been handed a script. The filming feels odd and extremely loose, and without giving away any spoilers, the movie increasingly feels like a questionable adult version of “Home Alone.”
In a world where the pandemic is still being managed and everything feels thin and stressful, it would have been great if Angela’s interactions remained mostly virtual. That would have felt a little more like the terrible War Of The Worlds, but with Zoë Kravitz, it could have worked. As it is, though, some of this is enjoyable, and some laughable, but not because it’s funny. A super strange experience for a Steven Soderbergh film.
Runtime: 89 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes, if you like Zoë Kravitz or most thrillers
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Max and Hulu, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
When it comes to reliving the pandemic, I think it’s fair to say that there isn’t a huge appetite for it. Regardless of your feelings about it now, it was a fairly scary and sad time in the world, and most of us aren’t looking to relive those days while escaping into a movie. That said, there are a few great ones (check out 7 Days!), so I had to check this out.
